Heatwaves and Thunderstorms
by lil smiles
Summary: A series of weather inspired oneshots. Jello-Jane/Lisbon centric. Part 6: Autumn Sunset - The pair remained where they were, content in the stillness, watching the sun dip further behind the tall buildings of the city skyline.
1. Heatwave

**A/N: So I'm totally jumping on the oneshot series bandwagon. I don't know how many this will be but I promise if I get hit with inspiration or I get writer's block on my current projects that I'll update. Each ficlet will be associated with a particular kind of weather. I'll try to make these as realistic as I can but be forewarned, some might be extremely fluffy. But I'm going to take a leap of faith and hope that all of you won't think that's necessarily a bad thing :P Mostly Jello-Jane/Lisbon centric. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything as much as it pains me to admit that. If Bruno Heller decides to auction off the characters, I'll be the first in line with my entire life savings in Monopoly money.**

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**Heatwave****  
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Lisbon was hot.

She had already discarded her blazer and her dress shirt, leaning back in her chair in nothing but an olive green tank top and khaki slacks. Eyeing the mercury level, she groaned. It was well over ninety degrees and still climbing, not to mention, the air conditioning had just conked out over an hour ago. Standing up to stretch her legs, she felt another bead of sweat trickle from her brow. She swiped it with the back of her hand as she stood in her doorway, regarding the other agents in the bullpen. All of them looked just as miserable as she did. Rigsby had his face in front of a tiny electric fan no bigger than the size of an alarm clock. The device was probably making him warmer rather than cooling him down, but the agent, with a half eaten granola bar in his mouth, seemed too out of it to care. Across from him, Van Pelt had her head propped up with one hand and the other was waving a sandalwood fan, trying her best to focus on her case report. Cho was the only one of the three who didn't look affected by the heat. He was calmly reading another one of his books, completely unaware of the sweltering temperature. Lisbon frowned, something was missing or rather _someone_ was missing. _Where had her consultant disappeared off to this time? _ Feeling too hot to even think, she returned inside. The minute she sat back down, her head dropped onto her desk. There was no way she was going to concentrate on the mountain of paperwork cluttering around her. She felt too sticky and too tired. Just as she was starting to drift off to sleep, the door loudly swung open.

"Jane, I swear, if you don't leave me alone, I will shoot you, resurrect you from the dead and then shoot you again," she muttered, not even bothering to look up.

"That's assuming the bullets in your gun haven't melted yet."

Without lifting her head, she pulled her state issued weapon from its holster and allowed it to clatter spectacularly beside her.

"No need to be so dramatic, Lisbon."

Grunting, she sat up, bringing along a loose piece of paper that had glued itself to her cheek. Jane looked as though he was about to comment when Lisbon stopped him.

"Don't say anything."

He ghosted a zipper across his lips and innocently clasped his hands behind his back. Lisbon grumbled a string of expletives under her breath as she peeled the paper from her face. Crumpling the sheet into a ball, she threw it at Jane. The wad expertly bounced off his shoulder, forcing her to take a good look at him. She felt her heart flutter for a moment when she caught his eye. The heat must have been getting to her. That had to be the only explanation. Jane too, had lost his jacket, along with his vest. His light blue shirt was wrinkled from the humidity, sleeves rolled to his elbows with a couple of the top buttons undone, revealing just a hint of skin.

"Are you done undressing me with your mind yet?"

His voice snapped her back to reality. Luckily her face was already flushed, hiding the redness that she could feel creeping up her neck.

"What do you want, Jane?" she demanded trying to change the subject.

"Why is it that whenever I come to your office you think I need something of you?"

"Oh I don't know, maybe because whenever you come to my office you always need something of me?"

"You're exceptionally cranky today."

"I feel like I'm in the middle of the Sahara Desert. I think I have a right to be a little cranky."

Jane settled into the seat across from her desk.

"What are you still doing here? Did you not hear what I said earlier?"

"Yeah, yeah, you'll _shoot _me," his eyes rolled up as he waved his hands in the air in mock fear. "I just thought you'd like to chat."

She glared at him.

"There's enough hot air in this room without you adding to it."

Jane chuckled and Lisbon couldn't help suppress the smile that tugged at her lips. Unexpectedly, he placed a frosted glass in front of her, decorated with a bright green drink umbrella. Lisbon hadn't even realized he had been holding something. She had been too distracted by Jane's perfectly tanned arms and... _Whoa, easy, Lisbon._

"What's this?" she asked, trying to keep her thoughts from wandering.

"Lemonade," he replied breezily. "You better drink it now before it starts evaporating."

She wrapped her fingers around the glass, instantly revelling in its cool relief.

"This is just what I needed."

"See, I don't _always_ come in here asking for things."

Leaning back with a grin, he clasped his hands behind his perfect head of curls. Lisbon suddenly wondered what it would be like to run her hands through… _Stop it, woman!_

"I guess you don't," she mumbled.

"Was that so hard to admit?"

"You know, you should learn how to quit while you're ahead."

Lisbon took a long sip and then sighed, purposely drawing it out. She caught a mixture of amusement and desire flicker across his face.

"Now who's undressing whom?"

Quirking an eyebrow, she let a smug smile settle on her lips, enjoying that for once, she had the upper hand.

"Lisbon, my dear, I would willingly admit if I was picturing you naked. You, on the other hand, would never confess to anything of that sort, at least not out loud, even if you were totally picturing me naked too."

The smile withered on her face. She felt as though her cheeks were on fire. Helplessly, she watched as Jane leaned forward, his face mere inches from hers.

"By the way, you look sexy in a tank top. You should show off those incredible arms more often."

Lisbon couldn't put together a coherent sentence even if life depended on it, while Jane beamed his signature disarming smile at her. Before she could recover, he hopped onto his feet and was out the door. Lisbon blinked. _What the Hell just happened?_ She downed the rest of her chilled beverage in a single gulp. _Damn heatwave._ Her gaze traveled to the gun sitting on her desk. She smiled at the fact the bullets obviously had not melted as she unconsciously rubbed her arms, her _incredible _arms. Eyes widened, Lisbon shook her head. _Damn Jane._ She should have shot him.

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_**Fin for now, Jello forever**_


	2. Hailstorm

**A/N: Thank you for that incredible response for the first chapter :) I'm glad you guys enjoyed it! So I thought I'd take on the challenge of another weather phenomenon. Thank you to Madaboutthementalist for the inspiration (I'm leaning towards the latter part of your suggestion). Hehe, in any case, this is extremely OOC and would *never* happen but I just couldn't post the original ending I had written. With that in mind, extreme fluffiness alert. You have been warned. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: This is the part of my fic where I complain how life is unfair and that I don't own the Mentalist.  
**

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**Hailstorm**

"It must be nice working with your husband."

Lisbon had been mindlessly saying goodbye when the woman's comment stopped her dead in her tracks. Her ears must have been fooling her.

"Excuse me?"

Before the woman could explain, Lisbon felt an arm go around her waist.

"Oh, she loves having me around, isn't that right, Darling?"

Jane smiled at Lisbon with a twinkle in his eye. Her lips only pursed for just a moment. It was obvious to Jane she was trying to restrain herself from strangling him in front of a potential witness. To his delight, she forced a smile to match his own.

"Of course, Snookums, never a dull moment with you."

To add to the effect, she pinched his cheek, hard. A satisfying smirk crinkled the corners of her mouth. Jane was holding back a wince when she removed her hand as the woman grinned widely.

"You two are just so adorable. If I remember anything else I'll be sure to give you a ring."

"Thank you, Mrs. Kirkland, we really appreciate it," Jane said politely.

The woman blushed as she bustled back inside of her home. When she was gone, Lisbon angrily removed Jane's hand from her hip.

"What the Hell was that for?" she demanded hotly.

"She thought we were married, what was I supposed to do?"

"Gee, Jane, I don't know, tell her the truth?"

"And ruin this lovely afternoon with my depressing life story. I don't think so."

Although the teasing tone in his voice hadn't faltered, Lisbon still felt guilty for her glib remark.

"Jane…"

"It's okay," he brushed off, smile still in place. "Besides, Snookums, really? Is that the pet name you'd give me?"

Lisbon was rolling her eyes at him when something landed right in front of them. The object was about the size of the golf ball, white, and shattered into pieces when it hit the concrete. Before she knew what was happening, Jane grabbed her elbow. Another golf ball would have smacked her straight on the head had it not been for Jane's quick reflexes. He had dragged her under the protection of the vinyl canopy of a condemned hardware store before a deluge of white pelted down from the sky.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied. "Is that hail?"

"Looks like."

"Perfect," she grumbled. "We're stuck in the middle of Hicksville caught in a freak hailstorm."

They spent some time staring at the falling ice, bouncing off the flimsy awning they were standing beneath.

"This is all your fault," Lisbon muttered, breaking the silence.

"How is this, my fault?"

"We just had to talk to Mrs. Kirkland today. It couldn't possibly wait for tomorrow and what did we learn from her? Nothing, aside from the fact the woman's only companions are of the feline variety."

"Could explain the kitty litter trace found on the victim's shoe," replied Jane thoughtfully.

Lisbon opened her mouth but nothing came out.

"And I thought we worked through our trust issues, Lisbon. I'm so terribly disappointed."

She frowned at him.

"Why didn't you say anything? We could have brought her in for further questioning."

"No, I think Mrs. Kirkland is innocent. She was so sweet to us."

"Oh, so sweet old ladies can't _possibly_ be capable of murder."

"Well, not all sweet old ladies, but this one isn't."

"Oh really?"

"Really."

They were so busy bickering that Lisbon only realized Jane was still holding onto her arm.

"You can let go now," she ordered.

"Nah, I don't want to."

"Jane, let go."

"No."

She groaned, before deciding to switch tactics.

"What, are you scared of a little hail?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he scoffed. "If anyone's scared it's you."

"Then why are _you _the one holding onto me?"

"Because, my dear, you subconsciously want me to."

"So now suddenly you're psychic," she quipped, rolling her eyes yet again.

"There is no such thing as a psychic."

"Then how do you know what my subconscious is telling you?"

"Again we've been through this before, you're translucent."

Hail or not, Lisbon couldn't take anymore of his shtick as she shook off his grasp and calmly walked out from beneath their makeshift shelter. Her timing couldn't have been worse. Just as a sizable piece of hail was ready to knock her out, Jane once again jerked her out of the way. Lisbon stumbled, sending the two of them reeling backwards. When they both regained their balance, she found herself pinned between Jane and the boarded up door of the shop. His face was so close hers, she could see tiny golden-green flecks speckling the cerulean blue irises of his eyes. She had never noticed those colours before. He was too damn close.

"Thanks," she said, her voice sounding oddly breathless.

"No problem."

She could feel his strong steady heartbeat against her own. His gaze held hers as his arms wrapped tighter around her.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"You're cold," he said simply.

"I'm fine."

His head dipped forward.

"What _are_ you doing?" she repeated.

"What do you _want_ me to do?"

She glared at him, trying to suppress the uncontrollable panic rising inside of her.

"Answering my question with another question is childish."

"I prefer the term endearing."

Their foreheads were touching now.

"You want me to kiss you," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I-I do not," she stammered.

"Why do you insist on lying to me?"

"I am _not _lying."

He simply grinned at her as he tipped her chin towards him. Instinctively, her lids slid shut although her mind was screaming at her not to. Just when she thought he was going to kiss her, his lips brushed against the tip of her nose instead. Her eyes snapped opened. An amused smirk played on Jane's lips.

"Disappointed?" he asked.

She blinked before shaking herself out of her semi-trance.

"No, don't be ridiculous," she exclaimed.

She forcefully shoved him away from her. He staggered backwards, but the smirk on his face refused to go away.

"The hail stopped," he announced.

"Great."

Lisbon stepped out onto the sidewalk and silently headed towards her parked vehicle while Jane regarded her closely. Her mind was still swimming from what had happened moments earlier or rather what _nearly_ happened. She hated hailstorms. The irrational thought was undermined by the feeling of Jane's watchful stare from behind. Suddenly, she halted mid-stride and spun around.

"Stop it," she said irritably.

"Stop what?"

"You know what. You and your analyzing crap or whatever it is you do, just stop it."

"Observing," he corrected.

"Whatever, Jane."

"There's no need to be so grumpy, Lisbon, if you _wanted_ me to kiss you…"

He was cut off abruptly. Lisbon had pressed her lips against his. One arm snaked its way around his neck while her other hand gripped onto the lapel of his suit jacket. She only pulled back when oxygen became an issue. He cocked his head to the side, clearly impressed by her brazenness.

"That's one way to shut me up," he quipped after a moment.

"If only I…"

This time Jane cut her off, reclaiming her mouth with his. Lisbon felt her eyes flutter shut. Maybe she had been too quick to judge. Hailstorms weren't all _that_ bad.

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_**Fin for now, Jello forever**_


	3. Downpour

**A/N: I tried and failed at my attempt to update _Unforgivable_ so I ended up writing a new fic for this instead. It's a bit shorter and not quite as fluffy as the previous ones. But, I'm pretty proud of it so let me know what you think. Enjoy!  
**

**Spoilers: 1x07_ Seeing Red_  
**

**Disclaimer: Yep, not mine. Yep, not making money. Yep, still broke XD**

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**Downpour**

It wasn't often that Patrick Jane slipped from his façade. In fact, during the five years he'd spent with the CBI, he had only one minor break down. He chalked that up to the fact he had foolishly allowed Kristina Frye to get under his skin. Not once did he believe the woman was psychic. He was convinced of that fact when she revealed that his wife told her his daughter never suffered at the hands of Red John. Coroner reports didn't lie, albeit, the ME hadn't been completely conclusive with his findings. At the time, the good doctor had told Jane that his daughter had died blissfully unaware of her brutal attack, but Jane knew better. And the minute he was assigned to Lisbon's team, he got his hands on his family's case files to confirm his suspicions. Jane held onto the guilt like a life preserver. He needed it, depended on it to serve as a constant reminder for his reason for living, his thirst for vengeance. Damn that woman. Damn her for bringing all those repressed feelings back to the surface. He had worked so hard and that fraud just unravelled all of it in a span of a few short minutes. And after he had allowed himself a moment of weakness, he vowed never to cry within the walls of the CBI building ever again. One promise he had a chance of actually keeping.

He closed his eyes, allowing the downpour to envelope him. He couldn't remember how long he had been standing outside. It had been long enough for his fingers to go numb, but not enough to dull the throbbing pain in his heart. He shouldn't have had this kind of reaction to the case. The emotions didn't even quite hit him until everyone had left for the evening. A typical homicide. If you could label violent death as typical. The girl had been seven years old with perfect blond ringlets, tied back in pigtails. She was found wearing a pale pink jumper, one delicate foot in a black dress shoe while the other was bare, missing its counterpart. Her face and arms were bruised, her neck snapped, all the result of falling down a flight of stairs. The moment his eyes fell on the body, he felt his chest tighten. There was no mistaking the eerie resemblance this little girl had to his dead daughter. He thought he had handled the situation well, managing to still joke around with Rigsby, fluster Van Pelt and annoy Cho as if it were any other case. Everyone was buying his act, except for Lisbon. He couldn't quite decide what she was thinking. She kept mainly to herself, speaking to the team when it was only necessary. He had expected her to hover, to make sure he was alright but she never did and he wasn't sure if that actually upset him more. The case had been rather boring, for lack of a better word. The mother confessed to accidently pushing her daughter down the staircase after the girl had refused to put on her shoes properly.

This was yet another reason why he didn't believe in a god. How could anyone that was compassionate allow a child to die this way? How could anyone so all powerful allow a monster like Red John to continue to murder innocent people? His mind swam with angry questions. Tears spilled down his cheeks, masked by the fat drops of rain. He cried for the little girl whose life was abruptly cut short. He cried for his lost daughter. He cried for being so utterly helpless.

And suddenly, he no longer felt the comforting deluge of water washing over him. He slowly lifted his head in confusion. The rain was still pelting down unrelentlessly from the murky skies, except in the spot where he was standing. Peering over to his side, his eyes settled on Lisbon's delicate face. She stared back at him, holding a large umbrella between them. The expression in her eyes wasn't of pity or concern like he expected but rather understanding. His vision blurred with fresh tears. She didn't try to reach out to comfort him. She simply stood steadfastly by his side. Her presence alone dulled some of the pain. He didn't think it could be possible for anyone to have that kind of effect on him. She had the ability to make his world seem less bleak, to make him feel less broken, without uttering a single word. He offered her a small smile of appreciation which she reciprocated. The downpour was beginning to let up, when Lisbon finally spoke.

"Do you want a ride home?"

"No," he replied, "I think I can manage."

"Okay."

Reaching out a hand, she lightly tapped her fingers against his arm. He caught her hand in his before she could pull away. She looked somewhat startled by his reaction as he tugged her towards him and into his arms. She didn't protest against the cold, wet feeling of his body pressed against hers. And although the intimate embrace caused Lisbon's favourite shirt to become thoroughly soaked, she allowed him to cling to her.

"Thank you," he whispered against her ear.

She felt a small shiver run down her spine at the words. His voice had been raw, fraught with emotion. Lisbon merely nodded her head, not trusting herself to speak. When he released his grasp on her, he stood back, sheepishly trying to straighten out her blouse. She laughed softly at his failed attempts.

"Forget about it," she brushed off.

"I'll buy you a new one," he insisted.

"Don't be silly, it's just a shirt."

"But you love this shirt."

Her mouth crinkled into a grin.

"There are more important things I care about."

Jane felt a grin spreading across his own face as the dark clouds began to part. He stared up and caught a glimpse of a star twinkling brightly against a patch of clear sky. Had he been a different person, perhaps he would have believed that there was a god out there after all.

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_**Fin for now, Jello forever**_


	4. First Ray of Sunlight

**A/N: Yes, I'm very much aware of the fact that Unforgivable hasn't been updated in a long time. I'm working on it. On the plus side, I've got a new beta! Yay! TY Lysh! You'll see her awesome beta powers at work in my next fic. This I couldn't wait to post. I've been at it for over a week, unsatisfied with what I came up with the first few times. This was actually quite an emotional piece for me as the subject that I tackle is very close to my heart. I'm still not entirely sure about it, but I know that if I don't post it now, it'll never get posted period. So, here it is. More Lisbon-centric this time around. As always, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Here we are again, another birthday come and gone and I have not been given a new car or the rights to any of my favourite TV shows. I guess I'll just have to take comfort in the fact that Season 2 of the Mentalist airs in precisely 50 days.  
**

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**First Ray of Sunlight**

It was another warm spring morning, the sun still asleep just beyond the horizon, that Teresa Lisbon found herself at a very familiar place. She had made the trip numerous times before and it had become almost a monotonous ritual. Like clockwork, she would visit her mother on the anniversary of her death, before the break of dawn, a bouquet of cream primroses and magnolias in hand. She would sit by her grave and mourn the loss of the beautiful vibrant woman who gave Lisbon her green eyes, who taught her how to love and be loved. The pain always felt more raw, more intense, on that day. Only, with the passing of time, Lisbon could feel the memories of her mother, her laugh, her touch were unwillingly beginning to fade. Each year, Lisbon would desperately try to recall every detail of her face and each year, she would feel a tiny part of her mother slip beyond her grasp.

That was until Patrick Jane came crashing into her life. Single-handedly, he managed to turn her entire world upside down. He wreaked havoc on her career and was most likely responsible for the ulcers that she'd developed from working constant damage control. She had never met anyone quite so infuriating, arrogant and childish. Yet at the same time, they had fast become the most unlikely of friends. If someone had told her six years ago that she would be solving crimes alongside a former psychic, who would somehow manage to weasel his way into her heart, she would have promptly called the men in white coats. And here she was, sitting by her mother's grave, rambling on about Jane's latest escapade. Because of him, Lisbon hardly ever visited on her mother's anniversary anymore. She had instead made it a point to see her mother whenever she felt the need to share news about her life. Because of him, there were less tears and more laughter and for some inexplicable reason, in that laughter, her mother's face suddenly became clearer in her mind. It was strange for Lisbon to think about, how Jane had changed her, how he had brought so much joy back into her life.

And it wasn't just her life that was affected. Lisbon had also noticed that Jane too was a different man. It had been a long journey for him, still is. He had finally seemed to have begun healing from the guilt of losing his family. She recalled a conversation she had with him, a couple weeks ago. He had shared a story about the day his little girl accidentally hypnotised her first grade teacher and called him in tears, begging him to help her. Grinning at the memory of Jane's face lighting up, Lisbon realised that prior to that, she couldn't remember a time he had ever smiled quite so brightly. She felt a sense of pride that Jane had begun opening up to her, about his wife and his daughter, about the life he had before she had met him. She'd often wondered what a younger, happier Patrick Jane would have been like and whether or not she would have become friends with that version of him. Shaking her head, she smiled. Lisbon caught herself thinking about Jane a lot more often as of late. They had spent the last few nights at work together, staying much later than anyone else, poring over notes and countless of files. It had been an unusual case of mistaken identity. The body of a woman was incorrectly indentified, which meant their victim was missing and another family had to be informed that their daughter, sister, wife was not coming home. Thankfully, they found the young woman, a little worse for wear, but alive. Once again, Jane's crazy elaborate schemes led them straight to where she had been kidnapped. Although he may not believe in them, Lisbon knew God made miracles happened. It wasn't an often occurrence in her line of work, a fact Lisbon knew all too well. She had witnessed enough senseless murders to last many lifetimes. So she was grateful for those small victories, even more grateful that she got to share them with Jane, with her team and most importantly, with her mother.

"It's been a good week, Mom," Lisbon spoke aloud. "We saved a life."

Reaching out, she gently ran a hand along the cool surface of the simple granite gravestone, her fingers finding the lyrics engraved below her mother's name. _T'was grace that brought us safe thus far and grace will lead us home._ It had been her mother's favourite song. One that Jane had recently started humming whenever he had the chance, much to the chagrin of Cho and Rigsby. The two of them have had to endure one too many driving trips with _Amazing Grace_ on constant repeat care of their consultant. Lisbon laughed softly. The rest of the team didn't know she could just pretend to be annoyed.

Glancing down at her watch, Lisbon realized it was time for her to leave. Slowly getting to her feet, Lisbon dusted off the loose grass from her pants. The first ray of light was barely peeking out from the edge of the sky. It was then she suddenly noticed a lone figure standing in the distance. Dressed in a simple three piece suit, he had his hands casually stuffed in his pockets. She caught his gaze, if only for a brief moment. Smiles were exchanged and nothing more. The early sun illuminated his golden curls, casting a gentle halo-like glow above his head. Lisbon smirked as she tilted her face slightly towards the heavens. Growing up, she was always told by her mother that the best quality in a man was his sense of humour. Jane definitely wasn't lacking in that department. He may have the uncanny ability to drive her up the wall but he also made her laugh as though nobody was watching her. She was beginning to think that it was her mother that brought Jane into her life as another smile took hold of her. A mother's gift to her only daughter, her own personal guardian angel.

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_**Fin for now, Jello forever**_


	5. End of the Rainbow

**A/N: I've clearly neglected my series for far too long. And I have about a billion other bunnies that I want to feed but clearly don't have the time. Thank you to all the readers. Steph.107, Tiva4evaxxx, MissNitaGirl, yasminbanu786, Cora, Lysh, Kathiann, Isabell****, Viktorija, Alyssa, Jennifer, shopping-luva91, Aeryn, Tracie, Madaboutthementalist, Lee, House Calls, Linwe Elendil, Susan, Ashwaq, Shelly, mwalter1, Sexycindi, Kate, FallIntoAHellCalledLove, x-gemarrrr, KaleidoscopeEyes13, Jo, 221b Baker Street, OnlySoAnHour, 4nim3BBfr34k, Jisbon-Fan, chocolatefan, Divinia, xXLuvin-itXx, CharlieBlue1977, SpaceAnJL.**** And special thanks to Yana for her kind words and for reviewing every chapter in a row. I hope I haven't forgotten anyone. This newest chapter is slightly crazy and weird but hopefully fun admist the angst. Not sure how I feel about it. In any case, enjoy! **

**Spoilers: Very, very minor reference to 2x03 _Red Badge_.  
**

**Disclaimer: Ah, yes, if I owned anything valuable like the rights to the Mentalist than there wouldn't be the need for the 'Get Rach the rights to the Mentalist Fund' now would there?  
**

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**End of the Rainbow**

"I was right, wasn't I?"

Jane looked positively smug, as usual. Lisbon wanted to roll her eyes but found that even such a simple task was too tiring. Instead, she remained silent as she slowly walked towards the SUV.

"Lisbon?"

His hand was on her arm as she stopped mid-stride. She barely turned her head to face him. The playful glint in his eyes was now gone, replaced with concern.

"I'm just tired," she said after a brief silence, "couldn't sleep last night."

"Thunderstorms keep you awake?"

She glared at him before shaking off his hand and climbing into the vehicle.

"Hey, talk to me."

"Why?" she questioned irritably.

"I like to think we're friends and friends share their problems with each other. Don't they?"

Rubbing her temple, Lisbon jabbed the key into the ignition. Jane's hand immediately covered hers before she could start the engine.

"I'm fine," she said automatically.

"Oh sure and I'm a leprechaun."

"Seriously, Jane, don't."

"Okay, I'm sorry. I just," he paused for an uncomfortably long period of time.

Without finishing his sentence, he retracted his hand and quietly sat back in his seat. Instead of questioning him on what he was going to say, Lisbon was simply thankful for his silence. She should have known it wouldn't last. They had been driving for only a few minutes when he spoke.

"Pull over."

"Excuse me?"

"Pull over," he repeated, this time staring straight at her.

"And why would I do that?"

"I forgot that I needed to pick up something."

"I'm not your chauffer, Jane."

"Would you just pull over, woman?"

Sighing, Lisbon grumbled as she parked the van along the sidewalk.

"I'll be five seconds."

Jane grinned widely as he hopped out and ducked into a run-down corner store.

"One," she muttered under her breath, "two, three, four, four and a half…"

She wearily eyed the front door of the store.

"Five."

Jane was nowhere in sight. Closing her eyes, Lisbon groaned as her forehead landed against the steering wheel with a soft thud.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Jane re-emerged, carrying a gaudy foil green gift bag. He was whistling an old Gaelic hymn, one that Lisbon immediately recognized. It was a lullaby, something her mother used to sing to her and her brothers when they were little. She listened intently to the gentle melody as she was momentarily whisked away to a world far from the present. When she reopened her eyes, Jane's face was just inches from hers. She stared at him for a few seconds before jerking back in her seat.

"What the Hell took you so long?"

She sounded skittish, un-Lisbon like.

"Let me drive."

Fighting back a laugh, she shook her head.

"You're too wound up. It'll be best if I drive."

"Uh, let me think about that. No."

"It's okay, really. I'll drive slowly and it'll be fine. It's not like I'm drunk or anything."

The moment the words left his mouth, she shot him the most venomous glare, a look that was normally reserved for the most hardened criminals.

"I know you get a perverse sense of pride when you mess with people's minds, my mind in particular, but I also know that this is just your pathetic way of coping with your crappy life."

His lips crinkled into a smile.

"That's very insightful, Lisbon."

Her hands tightened considerably around the steering wheel. She turned away from him.

"Get out," she said evenly.

"What?"

"Get. Out. Now."

"Teresa…"

She felt the small strand of control she had on her emotions snap. Tears burned in her eyes, threatening to spill at any given moment. Déjà-vu. She hated herself for allowing Jane to corner her, to see her vulnerable so soon after her small breakdown, in her apartment no less. Biting her lip, she fought with everything she had to stop herself from going that far again.

"It's not fair," his voice softened slightly. "It's not fair that you have to always be the one that's calm and collected all the time."

She angrily swiped the tears away with the back of her sleeve before a single one could fall.

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, right," she scoffed.

"No, I am. I'm sorry your father was the man he was."

"He was a good man."

"Of course."

"He was."

Lisbon was almost certain that Jane knew the day's significance, although the pair never spoke about it. Every year, it was the only time they pretty much avoided each other or at least Lisbon did her best to stay away from Jane. But this year she thought she could live through it. It wasn't the first time she had been wrong.

They sat in complete stillness, with only the sound of a light rain misting the front windshield. Momentarily, the sun peeked out from behind the clouds. Lisbon turned her head and saw Jane's face light up like the Fourth of July. He had that look in his eyes, a kid on a snow day. Before she could stop him, he was out of the car, carrying the package tightly to his chest as he ran along the wet pavement. Muttering words that her mother could have easier washed her mouth with soap for, Lisbon unbuckled her seatbelt and chased after him. Lingering drops of rain fell as she darted around the tiny puddles along the sidewalk. When Jane suddenly came to a halt, he was grinning happily at her as she frowned back, clearly unimpressed with his immature behaviour.

"What is wrong with you?" she exclaimed, irritably.

"What's wrong with me? You told me to get out."

She threw her hands up in defeat and was about to leave him to his own devices when he grabbed a hold of her arm with his free hand. Sighing yet again, she turned back around as Jane thrust the foiled monstrosity into her grasp. She stared up at him quizzically, but didn't even bother asking as she reached into the green bag revealing a familiar black box.

"_Pot of Gold_?" she questioned.

"Why, yes, dear Lisbon, pretty appropriate if you ask me."

He pointed upwards into the air as her eyes followed his line of sight. She gazed in wonder at the arch of pink, orange, green and indigo melted seamlessly together, sweeping across the pale sky. Letting out an involuntary gasp, she suddenly forgot everything that made today almost unbearable, at least temporarily.

"It's beautiful."

Jane eyed the woman beside him staring completely in awe at one of nature's miracles and nodded.

"Yeah, beautiful."

She missed the look of longing from her consultant and instead, immediately glanced back down at the box in her hands.

"This is horribly cheesy, you do know that right?"

"I was thinking more romantic."

"Oh really? Is that why you were being a completely insensitive jerk earlier? Because you knew I'd just forgive you if you gave me chocolates?"

She looked positively stunning with a hand planted on her hip, eyes narrowed, rain drops glistening in her wavy curls.

"I say things without thinking it through sometimes. I'm sorry."

He mustered his best wounded puppy dog look. He genuinely meant his apology.

"Okay," she said slowly before quickly adding, "for now."

Smiling, he helped her unwrap the plastic film from the box and freed the green bag from her hands so that she could open the lid. As he attempted to steal a truffle, Lisbon jerked the box away before he could grab a treat.

"Hey!"

"I've reached the end of the rainbow and stolen a pot of gold from an annoying little man in green. I don't care what you say, this _is_ cheesy. "

She smugly popped a chocolate into her mouth before bolting for the van, leaving a slightly stunned Jane alone on the sidewalk. He slowly looked down at his choice of clothing. The olive shirt he was wearing beneath his vest clashed with the flashy bright bag in his hand. Smirking, he shook his head. _Well played, Lisbon, well played._

* * *

_**Fin for now, Jello forever**  
_


	6. Autumn Sunset

**A/N: Holy cow, I just realized I haven't updated this in a really *really* long time. My apologies, everyone. Thank you to everyone who's read/favourited/reviewed. I cannot thank you enough. The bunnies lately have been quite warm and fuzzy so here's another fluff-fest with an ooey gooey Jello centre (and RJ is long out of the picture). Ugh, I want to write angst again. Why can't I, why? *cough* Okay, uh, well, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I'm still stuck on a Jello dance high. So all I'm going to say is, I don't own anything and leave it at that. Oh, wait, I lied. _It's True_ is not real. I'd be surprised if it did exist, because personally, I'd think it would be a crappy game.  
**

* * *

**Autumn Sunset**

Lisbon sighed as she made her way up to the top of the staircase. Van Pelt had insisted the team come over to her new place, claiming that they didn't spend enough time together. Ten hours a day (usually more), five days a week and the occasional weekends, was apparently not enough for the red-headed agent. It wasn't that Lisbon hated the idea of bonding with the team outside of work. It was more that she found these types of social gatherings as another unnecessary occasion for her to be completely out of her element. Carrying a bottle of wine and a wheel of brie, she hesitated a moment in front of apartment 1854. The idea of turning back around and heading home was becoming more and more tempting to her with each passing second. She figured no one would even have to know…

"Lisbon!"

She groaned inwardly, watching her plans for slipping away without incident, vanishing into thin air. She turned, spotting Jane bounding towards her.

"To be honest, I didn't think you'd come."

"Some psychic you turned out to be."

He had that look in his eyes, the one he got when he was being challenged, as he flexed his fingers.

"I'm going to say that in that pretty bag of yours, you brought a bottle of your best Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, '97 or '99 and…" he paused to sniff the air, "cheese."

Her eyes narrowed at him as she resisted the urge to slap that smug smirk right of his face.

"What kind of cheese?" she challenged.

She could see the glimmer in his bright blue irises. When was she ever going to learn, never to give Patrick Jane ammunition to annoy her. Lucky for her, she was saved by the door. Standing in front of them was a giddy Van Pelt, dressed in a paisley blouse and jeans.

"I'm so glad both of you made it! You're just in time, we were about to start _It's True_."

Lisbon could only gape speechlessly at Van Pelt as their perky hostess whisked away the wine and cheese from her grasp.

"_It's True_?" Lisbon mouthed to Jane.

He simply shrugged his shoulders as he walked in to join Cho and Rigsby. Both men had already begun digging into a rather large party platter on the coffee table. Lisbon sighed. She should have escaped while she had the chance.

* * *

"Okay my turn!"

Van Pelt grabbed the die, rolling a pair of threes. She moved her token, a rabbit with a top hat, six spaces. Cho drew the card.

"Reveal something your mother would be horrified to know."

The red headed agent took a minute to think before answering.

"I got three tattoos in college," she replied.

Rigsby nearly choked on a pretzel.

"Where are they are?" asked Jane.

"You tell me," Van Pelt replied saucily.

Jane simply raised his brows and let out a whistle. Rigsby actually choked on his pretzel.

"Are you okay?"

Van Pelt looked visibly concerned as she handed him a glass of water.

"He's fine," Cho answered for a beet faced Rigsby. "Boss, you're up."

Picking up the die, he handed them over to a very reluctant Lisbon.

"How about Jane goes for me."

"Oh c'mon, where's the fun in that?" Jane smirked.

"How is sharing deep personal secrets fun?" she demanded.

"It just is," Jane paused. "I'm actually finding this game very educational."

"Of course you do."

She glared at him, her face pinched with annoyance.

"Just roll the dice. It's not going to kill you."

"Fine."

Two. Pushing what she thought was the sorriest excuse of a ferret forward a few inches, she frowned as Jane retrieved a card from the deck.

"The person reading this must describe the current player with just one word."

The room became completely still as Jane stared at Lisbon. His gaze was unnerving and after an uncomfortably long period of time, he sat back with a smile.

"Perfect."

His voice was barely audible. No one else dared to say a word. Lisbon rolled her eyes as she threw the dice at him.

"Funny," she snorted. "Your turn."

The other three agents let out a collective breath. Jane smirked as he tossed a seven.

"Oh, lucky number!" he exclaimed excitedly.

He bounced his squirrel in a Superman cape closer to the finish line. Van Pelt eagerly grabbed a card.

"Name your biggest regret..."

Her voice trailed off lamely as the smile faltered on her face. Another awkward silence befell the group, this one lasting much longer than the first.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon went by relatively hiccup-free after the board game incident had passed. In fact, Lisbon finally allowed herself to relax, enjoying the company of her colleagues more than she expected to. Rigsby had even managed to put together a few coherent sentences together when talking to Van Pelt and the pair looked rather comfortable with each other. Lisbon felt a tiny grin tug at her lips. They were a good match. She couldn't deny it, though she would keep a close eye on the couple. Cho was animated as well, surprising everyone when he did a very admirable impression of Elvis. And Jane was, well, Jane. He had handled himself as he always did, with a smile on his face and a witty remark ready at hand. During the course of the evening, he had brushed off Van Pelt's numerous attempts at an apology. But Lisbon did notice, he was a tad withdrawn, more so than usual and not at all up to his normal happy go-lucky self. He spent most of the evening glued to her side, finding any excuse to touch her whenever he could, a hand on her knee, an arm around her shoulders. His fingers brushed hers when he helped her open the bottle of wine. And if she was perfectly honest with herself, she didn't mind the close contact, which had to be the most startling realization of all. After a rousing round of charades, where the ladies pummelled the boys, Lisbon reluctantly stood up.

"As much as I'd love to watch you guys humiliate yourselves, I have to call it a night."

"Me too," added Jane.

"But it's only eight."

Van Pelt looked utterly crushed. Truth was, despite her prior reservations, Lisbon didn't want to leave.

"We've got a meeting with the AAG tomorrow morning," she explained.

"Is that a euphemism for something?" Cho deadpanned.

Jane simply smirked at the amused look on Lisbon's face.

"I hope that's the wine talking or you'll be stuck on stakeout for the next month," she threatened over her shoulder, before turning back to Van Pelt. "Thanks for inviting us over."

"Yes, thank you," added Jane. "I really had a great time."

Van Pelt's face brightened at Jane's compliment.

"Good, I'm glad. And I'm really sorry about..." she paused and recovered with a smile. "I'm glad you had a great time."

Jane beamed.

"We should do this again, perhaps BBQ and Twister at my place?"

"Count me in."

"I think I've reached my quota of embarrassment for a while," Lisbon replied dryly.

"Don't mind Miss Party Pooper over here, it's just way past her curfew," Jane quipped, ignoring the hairy eyeball being shot his way by the woman beside him. "Have a good night, Grace. See you later, boys!"

The pair left the apartment complex after a chorus of goodbyes. As they walked side by side, Lisbon didn't even try to distance herself from Jane who was purposely rubbing his arm against hers as they walked. The chilly fall air hit her immediately, as she tugged the leather jacket she was sporting closer to her body for warmth. She was half way down the front steps when she realized Jane was no longer beside her. Without needing to turn around, she could already feel his unsettling gaze on her.

"What?" she demanded.

"Your hair is extra shiny and glittery under the sun. It's nice."

"Thanks," she said slowly. "I think."

"You're welcome."

He skipped down the stairs until he was standing next to her.

"I'm not perfect, you know," she found herself admitting.

He cast a sideways glance at her and smiled.

"Nobody's perfect."

Eying him from beneath her lashes, she frowned as he continued to watch her intently.

"Stop doing that."

"Stop doing what?" he questioned innocently.

She glared at him but said nothing more as she turned her attention beyond the darkening horizon.

"We should go," she said finally.

"We should," he agreed.

"Long night going over case files."

"Yes, long night."

"I hate Mondays."

"Hmm."

The pair remained where they were, content in the stillness, watching the sun dip further behind the tall buildings of the city skyline.

"You're pretty damn close."

He didn't startle her, but his voice sent a current tingling down her spine. Against her better judgement, she turned to face him and found herself taken in by cornflower blue.

"Are you drunk off of one glass of wine?" she asked, adding a playful slap on his shoulder to hide the nervousness that crept into her voice.

He chuckled and shook his head.

"No, earlier, you said that you weren't perfect," he paused and leaned in towards her. "You're pretty damn close."

A warm blush coloured her cheeks, thankfully hidden by the dim light of dusk. Her vocal chords had decided on the last second to fail her when she tried to speak.

"We should go," he whispered, repeating her earlier comment.

Numbly, she accepted his outstretched hand and they descended the rest of the steps. His touch lingered against her skin a heartbeat longer than necessary before he released her and headed towards his vehicle.

"Jane."

He turned around, brilliant smile in place. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had ever smiled like that at her. And before she knew what she as doing, her lips were on his. Secretly, she had fantasized about a moment like this for quite some time now. It wasn't what she had imagined it to be. A whispery touch. Over before neither was sure it had actually happened. He rested his forehead against hers, his eyes still closed. She could feel his warm breath fighting with the brisk autumn breeze against her cheek.

"_I'm_ not perfect."

His voice was firm, earnest. Reaching up, Lisbon cupped his face with both her hands. He opened his eyes and she stared longingly at him. Blue and green, set against a breath taking deep magenta backdrop.

"You're my kind of perfect."

* * *

_**Fin for now, Jello forever**_


End file.
